Weinstein posts $1m bail on rape, sex crime charges

NEW YORK: Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was charged with rape and a sex crime in New York on Friday, posting a $1 million cash bail nearly eight months after his career imploded under bombshell accusations that triggered the #MeToo movement.

The former mogul — once the toast of Hollywood and whose films won scores of Oscars — grinned as he was escorted into a Manhattan court in handcuffs to face the first criminal charges posted against him.

Standing alongside his defense attorney, Weinstein looked glum during a brief arraignment, agreeing to post bail at $1 million cash, surrender his passport and be fitted with a GPS monitoring device.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said he was charged with rape in the first and third degrees, stemming from an attack on a woman in 2013, and a criminal sex act against another woman in 2004. Neither victim was named.

“Today’s charges reflect significant progress in this active, ongoing investigation,” said District Attorney Cyrus Vance, thanking “brave survivors” for coming forward and urging others to call a sex crimes hotline.